If you want an example how far Hollywood still needs to go in this #TimesUp and #MeToo era, look no further than Bryan Singer. The subject of years of sexual misconduct allegations levied against him by numerous young men, Singer has been a lightning rod of controversy, and was recently fired from directing Bohemian Rhapsody over his unprofessional conduct. While that potential awards contender was finished by Dexter Fletcher, it’s Singer who will get the directing credit, anyway. And now Singer is still apparently in high demand, because he’s being sought to direct that Red Sonja movie which has been in the works for years.
THR reports Millennium is looking to pay “top dollar” for Singer’s services directing Red Sonja, the Conan the Barbarian spinoff they hope will launch a franchise and tap into the Wonder Woman audience. The character is a fierce warrior fighting in the same world of sword ‘n sorcery as Conan. Brigitte Nielsen starred in a rather terrible 1985 film that also featured an appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger, reprising his Conan role. Robert Rodriguez had been developing a version of the film for years that, ironically, would have starred his then-girlfriend and #TimesUp activist Rose McGowan.
According to an insider, Millennium is willing to work with Singer despite his problems because they don’t believe the allegations have any merit. Even so, why court the negative stigma that will instantly be attached by hiring someone like Singer? Throw aside the misconduct claims and you still have a director with a history of being sorta flaky, like not showing up on scheduled shoot days.
So while this is a step forward for Red Sonja to finally happen, I’m going to say it’s two steps backwards in the long run because this could backfire big time.
